Plot: What’s it about?
Ah, the late 60’s and early 70’s. With so much turmoil and major events happening, why do we mostly associate that time with The Brady Bunch? Will you please tell me, because I just don’t understand. The show, like so many others we all watched as kids, is perhaps the most corny thing to ever hit the air. It was, however, a major success and still continues to rake in the money. But there’s something about a show with the backyard made out of Astroturf that draws you to it. Right? In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past 30 years, with your fingers in your ears; here’s a basic recap of the show…Mike Brady (Gary Cole in the movie) and Carol (Shelly Long in the movie) have both been divorced, Mike has three sons and Carol three daughters (with hair of gold, like their mother…). The whole series is the mishaps and incidents that happen when you have six teenagers growing up in the same household. A wise-cracking maid, Alice (Henriette Mantel in the movie) is the voice of wisdom in an otherwise crazy house. So that’s that…what’s the movie all about and why did it come out some 25 years after the show was cancelled?
We meet the Brady’s as they have literally been transplanted from the early 70’s into the “current” time, in this case the mid-90’s. Their house is intact and their fashions reek of something that we’d call “retro”, though this is the read deal, baby! However, it turns out that the Brady household owes some $20,000 in back taxes and unless they can pay the money in time, their house will be bought and then turned into a shopping mall. Oh the horror, the horror! Aside from that, the movie plays on us like we would never believe. We meet all of the Brady kids and they seem pretty adept at telling us what we remember from the show. Marcia (Christine Taylor) and Jan (Jennifer Cox) stand out a bit above the rest as Jan hears a voice that constantly reminds her of her older sister (“Marcia, Marcia, Marcia”). And the remainder of the movie shows the kids attempting to raise money for their family so that we can have a happy ending and all will be well. Do you think it happens? Well, put it this way, every Brady episode ended up with things being resolved in 22 minutes, so that might clue you in. Though it would have been nice to see Greg check into a rehab clinic…
The Brady Bunch Movie is corny and somewhat of a wild ride. It’s so corny that if it weren’t supposed to be, we’d probably just keep watching it to see if it was for real. Obviously aimed at a key demographic, the movie delivers what it promises. Though it won’t (and didn’t) win any awards, the movie was actually a financial success; even inspiring a sequel (though that’s not rare these days). Additionally, this movie is somewhat of a landmark (though I hesitate to use that term) in that it was one of the first films that I remember seeing a website for (www.bradybunchmovie.com) though the site is now defunct. That was in 1995 and oh my how far we’ve come since then. Fans of this will love seeing it on their home theater and for the rest of you out there, it might be something that you can watch on a rainy day.
Video: How does it look?
The 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer is literally bursting with color. Just take a look at the outfits that Brady’s wear and you’ll be glad you’re not on some sort of “trip” (you figure it out). While the bright, vivid colors are amazing to look at, the transfer does falter a bit from time to time. Flesh tones seem to be a bit pale and somewhat oversaturated in other scenes. It seems that a happy medium must be found here! While edge enhancement is at a minimum, there seems to be a little grain in some scenes that is a bit distracting. On the whole, it’s not bad, but Paramount has certainly produced better-looking transfers from older films.
Audio: How does it sound?
What better way to experience the Brady’s than in 5.1 sound! Well, this mix won’t blow you out of your seat (sorry), but it’s not really that bad. A lot of songs and comic effects do allow the speakers to open up a bit. Though there isn’t a lot of LFE in the film, the sub does do its part from time to time. Dialogue is clean and free of any distortion as well. There’s not a whole lot to say here, if you’re watching (listening, rather) for sound, then choose another movie.
Supplements: What are the extras?
No supplements are included.
